Awami League President and Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina Sunday blasted the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for continuing the enumeration process violating the High Court verdict.(UNB)

"The CEC has defied the HC order and has been working on the directives of the government," she told reporters at the ZIA on return from Saudi Arabia after performing Hajj pilgrimage. She went to Saudi Arabia on January 4 to perform Hajj. Referring to BNP-Jamaat ruling alliance government, Hasina said: "the government had earlier rigged electoral results and this time it is rigging the voter list." Hasina said the government knows well that the people would give no more votes to them as the people "got fed up with the misrule" of the alliance government.

"That is why the government is going to rig votes again through preparing fresh voter list defying the HC directives," she added.

Hasina, a former Prime Minister, also called upon the people to work unitedly to free the country from the misrule of the "brutal government".

Replying to query about possibility of joining the upcoming parliamentary session beginning January 23, Hasina said the decision on the question was yet to be taken.

"I am just returning… we will sit to discuss the issue and take decision," she added.

The Opposition Leader criticised the government for its alleged failure to handle the Hajj flights properly and said such mismanagement causing huge sufferings to our pilgrims should not have happened at all.

"Apart from this, Bangladeshi Hajjis in Makkah also suffered a lot and faced different kinds of problems, including water and housing problems, that I have noted down," she said, adding the Hajjis spent huge amount of money only to perform Hajj without any hazards.

Hasina was also critical of the government's failure to control the skyrocketing price of daily essentials, particularly during Eid-ul-Azha and Ramadan.

"The people have become totally exhausted with the price hike of essentials," she observed.

Sheikh Hasina also mentioned that she offered prayer while performing Hajj seeking divine blessing so that the country's people could get rid of the sufferings caused under the present government.